He first discussed the neurological motivations of purchasing a lotto ticket, suggesting that what's actually occurring is an attempt to realize our dreams.

Yet even if some of the material dreams are realized by the winners, Lo suggests that on balance, it becomes something of a nightmare:

"When you win that kind of money, everybody knows that you have won that kind of money. So, all of a sudden, distant relatives, friends, people you never heard of are coming into your lives, asking for just a little bit of that money. And that creates an enormous amount of tension and ultimately unhappiness. So I think it's a mixed blessing."